ALBUM REVIEW: HEALTH – Death Magic

Fiction

Released: 7.8.15

More information on HEALTH’s official website

HEALTH have always seemed to exist on some otherworldly astral plain, so it’s a shame that Death Magic sees them taking a step closer back to earth. Their third album falls short of packing the same punch as 2009’s Get Color; what’s apparent is the lack of the sinister, unnerving edge that previous tracks such as We Are Water teased, though the glitchy darkness of New Coke comes close. Flesh World (UK) treads a little too close to EDM territory, with Jake Duzsik’s vocals losing their mystery when they’re clear and to the fore of the surrounding noise. The stand-out here is Stonefist, where Duzsik’s ethereal, little-boy-lost vocals combine with glacial synths and that classic pummelling HEALTH beat that hits like a sledgehammer to the heart.